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Governor Clyde Tingley would appoint DENNIS CHAVEZ Senator.
The two men would recognize the need to work together to bring federal
NEW DEAL dollars to the state of New Mexico. In the end, their
partnership would produce far-reaching benefits to the state.
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Dennis Chavez, Senator from New Mexico
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Statue of Dennis Chavez located in the Senate Building statue
rotunda, Washington, D.C.
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Taking office in March 1933, President Franklin D. Rooseveltís
New Deal relief measures were sent to Congress and within months,
most of the acts the president wanted were passed. New Mexicans
welcomed New Deal programs of all kinds. Some of the New Deal
programs, such as the Works
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Progress Administration (WPA), put people to work in varying jobs:
writers, artists, and musicians practiced their trades as employees of
WPA projects, while others who worked for the WPA built schools and
other public buildings, including the library and the administration
building at the University of New Mexico. By 1936 more than thirteen
thousand New Mexicans had found jobs through this program.
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Between 1933 ñ 1943, in the depth of the depression, 167 known
artists lived in New Mexico, all struggling to sell art in a time when many
Americans had little money available even for necessities. The New
Dealís Works Progress Administration Art Project provided an
opportunity for artists to create artwork for public buildings, allowing
them to remain independent, support their families, and enrich and
enhance the community.
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The PWAP was the first, short-lived, federally funded arts
program to alleviate the economic job crisis in which Americans found
themselves during the Depression. The program consisted of the
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selection of public buildings--court houses, libraries, University
buildings, etc.-- to receive various forms of art. It began in December
1933 and ended in June 1934.
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George Biddle generated the idea of American artists painting
murals in selected public buildings in New Mexico. By 1934, 100 artists
had been assigned art projects by the Civil Works
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Administration (CWA) in the PWAP program throughout the state.
Various public libraries, courthouses, post offices and state and county
buildings received original works of art in the form of
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easel painting, murals or decorative objects.Many of the artists
and program organizers who participated in the program were well-known
local figures. The regional committee that helped to organize and select
local administrators consisted of
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Senator Bronson Cutting, architect John Gaw Meem and social
activist writer Mary Austin. Region 13 administrators were director
Jesse Nusbaum (a New Mexico anthropologist), secretary Kenneth
Chapman (also an anthropologist) and regional coordinator Gustave
Baumann (a well-known artist in Santa Fe).
Baumann and other team members traveled throughout New Mexico,
selecting towns and potential sites to be considered for artwork. He
received a salary and transportation to travel New Mexico, asking local
people and artists to recommend buildings for the artwork.Federal
funding for these art projects was not immediately available. The art
and artists for selected towns and cities were determined over a period
of time. The artists were able to pick their own themes, subject matter
and style. Some of the mural locations were selected by the artists
themselves. Each artist was evaluated and paid according to his or her
skill and experience. "Class A" artists were upper-class artists ñ more
established, considered highly skilled and experienced. They were paid
$40 a week for 20 hours' work. "Class B" artists were less skilled and
experienced, and were paid $27.50 a week for 20 hours of work. "Class
C" artists were craftsman and laborers, receiving the lowest pay. When
the PWAP project ended in June 1934 Region 13 had employed 3,600
artists and produced more than 16,000 works of art, created for public
display.